This invention relates to a package for articles and more particularly, to a theft resistant package for holding cassette tapes and the like, rendering these articles less susceptible to pilfering by shoplifters.
Magnetic recording tapes are packaged into cassettes which may be used to record and play audio information such as music, or may be employed in connection with digital electronic systems for storing programs or data. Although the small size of cassette tapes are an asset to the user in terms of their portability and storage, their small size renders them a target for shoplifters since they are easily hidden in pockets or handbags when the cassette tapes are not placed under lock and key. For this reason, enlarged cassette holders are often provided which make it very difficult for the cassette tape with the associated holder to be easily hidden on the person of a potential shoplifter, thereby minimizing unauthorized removal of these articles. Cassette holders must be designed so that they are not easily disassembled by shoppers, or shoplifters who would simply extract the cassette tapes from them. Often a special purpose tool is provided or a portion of the holder is cut with scissors or a knife in order to permit the tape to be released and used by the purchaser.
Since a theft resistant cassette holder is intended for the limited purpose of preventing the articles they contain from being wrongfully taken, they must be inexpensive to manufacture, reliable in the sense of preventing unauthorized extraction of the contents thereof, and must be attractive aesthetically since these articles are a part of the product display. A theft resistant cassette holder must further be simple to assemble and disassemble, so that special equipment is not needed.
It is, therefore, a principal aspect of this invention to provide a theft resistant cassette holder which provides a high level of resistance to unauthorized disassembly. It is an additional aspect of this invention to provide a theft resistant cassette holdeer which is attractive in appearance and which is inexpensive to produce. It is yet an additional aspect of this invention to provide a theft resistant cassette holder which is easily assembled by unskilled employees and which does not necessitate additional equipment for assembly or disassembly (although assembly equipment could be utilized to increase the production rate if desired).
A number of prior art references generally describe theft resistant packaging. Below is a tabulation of these references.
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Date ______________________________________ 2,738,056 A. H. Heller 3/13/56 3,495,716 J. D. Gregory 2/17/70 3,587,837 J. R. Smith, et al 6/28/71 3,650,382 S. Braun, et al 3/21/72 3,656,612 T. J. Sellors 4/18/72 3,675,763 H. N. Sandel 7/11/72 3,682,297 T. K. Austin, et al 8/8/72 3,776,374 R. L. Mendendorp 12/4/73 3,828,922 H. P. Holkestad 8/13/74 3,871,516 H. P. Holkestad, et al 3/18/75 4,245,741 H. P. Holkestad 1/20/81 ______________________________________
None of the above references, however, teach the novel aspects of the cassette holder according to this invention.
The above principal aspects according to this invention are provided by a cassette holder structure made from two pieces, a body and an endpiece. The endpiece interlocks with the body to trap a cassette tape container within one portion of the holder. The endpiece is securely fastened to the body by hook and slot engagements between these two parts. Manufacturing optimization is provided by forming the endpiece within an open interior area of the body. This manufacturing technique results in a injection molding die size which is smaller than the die which would otherwise be necessary to form both parts of the holder.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from reading of the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which makes reference to the following set of drawings: